Eighteen Months Later: The State of Sit/Lie

A year and a half ago, San Francisco passed Sit/Lie, the measure that made it illegal to sit on the sidewalk between 7 AM and 11 PM.

Where are we now?

The San Francisco Public Press just reported on the results of an independent survey--initiated by the SFPD. (It's worth checking out; you can read the survey results for yourself.)

According to the survey, the Haight was the primary target neighborhood for the ordinance: 159 citations were issued by the Park Station, nearly three times as many as the next most-cited district (the Mission). By comparison, 0 citations were issued in the Tenderloin.

The survey concluded that local opinion of the ordinance was still very mixed (it only passed by a 53% vote in 2010), and that merchants on the street found Sit/Lie largely ineffective in reducing panhandling, drug dealing and homeless camps on the street, most of which has since moved to Alvord Lake, just inside Golden Gate Park at the end of the street.

So we're asking you; now's your chance to weigh in. What do you think about Sit/Lie so far? Has it been effective? Is it being enforced adequately? What should be done differently?